This is a bonus post, a live recording of The Mendocino Gong Show at the Sea Gull Cellar Bar recorded 10-20-1982.
The Gong Show was a one-night only extravaganza at the upstairs Cellar Bar. We packed the house so we opened the dining room and the downstairs cellar and broadcasted the show over closed circuit TV. All three rooms were packed. It was the largest crowd ever in Sea Gull history. The recording is a bit long and chaotic but for those of you who were here at that time you may see some old friends.
Napkin artist Jack Haye is the Master of Ceremonies. As I recall it was Lenny Laks who came up with the idea and convinced me to do it. The judges were Peter Lit, Larry Fuente, and Ellen Callas. Some I recognize in the video are Harold (Henderson?), Neva Beach, Mike Evans and the Surf Sluts, Gabi and Uta, Janet (Davia) Russell, Doug Nunn, Tracy and Pam, Sally Stewart, Bob Avery, Bob Seaver, The Cave Martians, Jerry the Gypsy, Chris Nolty, Chris Lloyd, Meridian Green (see comments below).
We will add other names to the list over time. Let us know who you recognize. Send us your stories and comments to dhj@thinkinthemorning.com
Enjoy.
Hey David! ~
Cool Beans!
Do You still have any of those T~shirts stashed?
Sadly, no.
Meridian Green at around 1:03
Ooo, thanks !
Thanks David . . . . . A grand time was had by all . . . Organized chaos!
Have to watch this in ‘bites’…
but: oo! oo! GEEKY MIKE & the FABULOUS SURF SLUTS! My ALL.Time Favourite Mendocino Band! (i do still have their T~Shirt!)!
so when was the BIG Ocean Sanctuary Gong Show in Ft. Bragg?
I thimk that started the GS dominoid process & then the SeaGull Gong Show followed(?).
This conclusion is based on this observation: the food (pie) fight occurs early on here, leading me to suspect this event FOLLOWED the (Ft. Bragg) OCEAN PROTECTION Benefit Gong Show, as that event was concluded ~ wisely, as the mess factor was considerable ~by a similar ACT of pastry destruction:
My alterEgo, Moxie Axolotl, & a pack of Kids & a Troupe of rare TRAINED PASTRY: the Death~ Defying Daredevil Doughnuts & The Flying Eclair Brothers.
Your SeaGull Gong Show, while goofy, missed the point of the Gong Show Process , i.e. ~ ‘gonging’ an act offstage before they finished!
You guys replaced it with the more conventional ‘vote’ at the conclusion of each act (at least You started that way: it may have changed before the conclusion! see above: [“…bites”]
RE: the GongShow format…it was critical to gong acts out quickly: because Ocean Protection was so popular then, SO MANY acts signed up, that the show would have lasted for 3 days or more if they had all performed!
HOWEVER: in those pre~ satellite TeeVee days, enough folks were unfamiliar with the GS format! They didn’t GET IT!
So the crowd turned Very Hostile to the ‘Judges’ early on!
The public viewed it as a ‘talent show’ & many of the early acts were kids. As the Judges mercilessly gonged away, kids were walking offstage in tears!
Cotton Auditorium filled up a couple times in the course of the show, which lasted ’til after midnight! Angry people left, had dinner, got loaded, & returned to heckle the Judges!
By the end of the night it was scary!
For the record, We were the ONLY act that DEFIED the Gong! I threw the Flying Eclair Brothers at the Judges & the crowd went WILD!
Hey, David! You have INSPIRED ME! I shall WRITE the entire saga {LOTS more happened!}
Anyway, the Moral is: always plan Your Pie Fight for the END of a show!
Do it. I’d love to hear it. I was not in the room to watch. Spent the entire night roaming between all three rooms trying to keep things in some kind of order. Must have worked since no one was arrested as far as I know and the sheriffs stayed away.